Ashtray cleaner



Jul 29, 1969 NovAK 3,457,577

ASHTRAY CLEANER Filed Sept. 25, 1967 FIG.2

INVENTOR. DAVID M. NOVAK BY HARRY W. RANKIN f/u/fm ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 15-21 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This ashtray cleaner comprises a power rotated pad positioned in an opening in a housing for brushing material off an ashtray, which material is collected by a tray in the housing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Bars, restaurants, and similar establishments have many ashtrays that have to be cleaned several times during each day of operation. While this would seem to be an insignificant task, bartenders, waiters, and like persons consume a considerable amount of time in accomplishing this task. Also it is a task that many persons, particularly bartenders, dislike doing because of its constant and repetitive nature, and also because it is most difiicult in most instances to remove powder and other foreign objects that get into ashtrays.

Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a device that etfectively reduces work involved in cleaning ashtrays.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The embodiment of our invention comprises a housing having an elongated vertical length with a curved upper, front side. The curved side has an opening with a rotatable pad positioned substantially therein. The pad is rotated by a motor mechanism that is positioned inside the housing. A shield is connected to the housing and encircles the opening. The shield directs the ashes and material removed from the ashtray into the housing and assures that ashes and material displaced by the rotating pad do not pass out of the housing. The housing is hollow with a tray in the lower portion for collecting material removed from the ashtray. The tray pulls out similar to a drawer and thus may be selectively emptied.

Accordingly, the embodiment of our invention provides an easily used, power-operated, rotatable pad positioned in a housing that may be mounted on a wall or the like at a place for easy access and in which an ashtray may be inserted into said housing and selectively cleaned in a quick and efficient manner with the ashes, material and the like removed, being stored for easy disposal.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved ashtray cleaner.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved ashtray cleaner that collects the material cleaned from the ashtray for quick and easy disposal.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved ashtray cleaner that utilizes a power mechanism for cleaning ashtrays and which is simple in construction, economical to use and is eflicient in the cleaning of ashtrays and the collecting and disposing of the ashes removed.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved ashtray cleaner that is particularly adapted for use in bars, restaurants, and like establishments.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description with reference to the drawing in which like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout and in which:

"ice

FIGURE 1 is a front view of an embodiment of my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view taken along lines 2-2 of FIG- URE 1.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is illustrated an embodiment 10 of our ashtray cleaner that comprises a hollow housing 12 with an upper, front curved surface 36, a fiat rear surface 34 and with substantially fiat, top and bottom sides. The housing may be made of wood, plastic, rubber or any suitable material and may be mounted for operation on the side of a wall with brackets, screws or the like connecting side 34 flat against a wall surface. The front curved side 36 of housing 12 has an opening 20 that has a generally circular or oval shape. A- shield 26 is secured to the housing 12 and frames the opening. The shield 26 has a shape as illustrated to provide for catching the material that may be removed from the ashtray by the rotating cleaning pad 30. The cleaning pad 30 may comprise any known felt pad, brush or the like, and is supported on the end of a shaft that is rotated by an electric motor, power-unit 28. A switch 32 switches electric motor, power-unit 28 on and 0E. Electric cord 38 connects the power-unit 28 to an electrical power source in the known manner.

A drawer like tray 24 having a front surface 14 and an opening framed by side members 15 and '17 is slidably positioned through an opening 19 in the lower part of the housing 12. Accordingly, ashes removed will fall through the hollow housing and will be collected in the volume of the drawer 24. The ashes will be removed when the drawer 24 is pulled out in the normal manner by handle 16.

In operation, the power-unit 28 is energized by actuating switch 32 that rotates the cleaning pad 30. An ashtray is inserted with the concave side forward and is cleaned by the rotating cleaning pad 30 in the normal manner. Ashes and other material removed from the ashtray are collected within the cavity and drop through the hollow portion 22 of the housing 12 into the volume of the collecting drawer 24. The ashes and material caused to move radially from the rotating cleaning pad 30 are directed to the shield 26 and then fall into the cavity 22 of the housing and into the collecting drawer 24. The collecting drawer 24, when sufliciently full of ashes and material, is dumped in the normal manner.

It should be recognized that the opening 20, being in the curved side 12, is positioned over the hollow portion 22 of the housing. Also the shield 26 by being placed on the curved surface is slanted upwardly. Thus ashes and material dumped from the ashtrays and removed by the rotating cleaning pad drop through the opening 20 and through the hollow portion 22 to the drawer 24. Further ashes and materialcollected by the shield 26 slide down the inclined surfaces and are similarly moved to the drawer 24. There is, of course, a slight vibration of the entire structure that is caused by the rotation of the cleaning pad, and this vibration aids in moving the ashes and material from the shield 26 to the hollow cavity 22.

Also the electric motor operated power-unit 28 may be switched on and off by depressing the shaft support ing the pad 30. Longitudinal movement of the shaft actuates a switch internally positioned within the power-unit 28 to energize the electric motor. When the pressure on the cleaning pad 30 is removed, then the shaft is spring biased to its former position switching off the electric motor.

Having thus described our invention, we now claim.

1. An ashtray cleaner comprising:

a substantially hollow housing having an opening on one side,

opening for being contacted by an ashtray to be cleaned,

an outwardly projecting'sliield framing said opening,

container means positioned at the bottom of said housing for receiving materials removed from the ashtray by said cleaning pad,

'motor means for rotating said cleaning pad, 1 v i and said projecting shield being secured to said curved side at the edge of said openingand being slanted upwardly.

said cleaning pad is positioned to rotate in a plane that 'arfashtfa'y iaififigbiid "66a; 5351561168 within gate is positioned substantially in the plane of said opens, and said projecting shield extends a distance outwardly from said curved side to catch material directed radially outward from said rotating cleaning pad.

V References Cited I UNITE]? STATES PATENTS 2,252,175 8/1941 Gordon 131 232 10 3,044,092 7/1962 Fox 6:31. 15 75 3,060,475 10/1962 Dufault 1536 FOREIGN PATENTS .219;796 2/1962 Austria.

I 15 EDWARD L. ROBERTS Primary Examiner 2; An ashtray cleaner according to claim I in which: i I

US. Cl. X.R. l5101; 131-232' 

